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by thesurielships



Series: 7 Days Writing Challenge [4]
Category: Throne of Glass Series - Sarah J. Maas
Genre: Elorcan, F/M, Fluff, Prompt Fill, inspired by reply 1988
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-24
Updated: 2020-10-24
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:54:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27182071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thesurielships/pseuds/thesurielships
Summary: tumblr prompt: "Have you been taking care of yourself?”
Relationships: Aelin Ashryver Galathynius | Celaena Sardothien & Rowan Whitethorn, Aelin Ashryver Galathynius | Celaena Sardothien/Rowan Whitethorn, Elide Lochan & Lorcan Salvaterre, Elide Lochan/Lorcan Salvaterre
Series: 7 Days Writing Challenge [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1978678
Comments: 2
Kudos: 23





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**Author's Note:**

  * For [julemmaes](https://archiveofourown.org/users/julemmaes/gifts).



The day was December 22nd. For the residents of Ssangmun-dong, it was a day of celebration. Not only was it the winter solstice, the longest night of the year and the beginning of the school holiday; it was also the one day out of the whole year that all the youngsters reunited without fail.

It was, after all, Lorcan Salvaterre’s birthday.

Lorcan was a legend in this small town of the Dobong district. He had quit high school to pursue his dream of being an MMA fighter, and had quickly become a champion on the ring and a national celebrity.

However, being the local hero meant being away from home more often than not, so the squad always made sure to gather on his birthday.

Elide was a recent addition to the group of friends who had known each other since childhood, having only moved in with her aunt’s family four years earlier. They all had strong personalities, constantly clashing with each other one second then laughing boisterously the next, but they had welcomed her shy nature and reserved smiles with open arms, and she couldn’t be more grateful to have them in her life.

Aelin, her cousin, with her sass and larger-than-life personality was the one who inspired her to come out of her shell, to be bolder and, as she always liked to say, ‘ _to grab life by the balls’_.

Rowan, her cousin’s sidekick, though he would object to the nickname, had always made sure she was comfortable, and she’d quickly discovered that his brooding scowls hid the most fiercely loyal person she’d ever known.

Fenrys, the devil-may-care clown of the group, always had a joke up his sleeve. He was quite litearlly their social butter, quickly defusing any tension with a funny quip or a sarcastic remark.

Manon was definitely the scariest of them all, but also the one who had stood by Elide more times than she could count, rescuing her from bullies and teaching her how to fend for herself.

Last but not least, Lorcan Salvaterre, the champion, the legend, and the thief who had unknowingly stolen her heart.

That day, when Elide came back from school, she found Aelin and Rowan already bickering by Lorcan’s door. She slowed her steps, watching as Rowan mussed Aelin’s hair and she snapped back something that made him throw his head back in laughter. They were so obviously smitten, and yet so clueless about each other’s feelings, they were driving her insane. But Elide knew better than to get involved in other people’s love lives, especially when she struggled with her own.

“Sup, Liddie.” Fenrys slung an arm around her shoulder and she jumped. “What were you thinking about? Was it something dirty?” he asked conspiratorially, a shit eating grin on his face.

Elide felt herself flush. “Leave me alone, Fen.”

“Oh my. I was right. Rowan! Aelin!” he called out as he jogged toward them, dragging along a helpless Elide. “Lid has finally grown up!”

Aelin looked their way, already laughing. “Elide is much more grown up than you already, Fen.”

“Hey! I’m one year her elder,” he protested with a pout.

“Only physically,” replied Rowan with a large smile. He was standing a lot closer to Aelin than usual, Elide noted.

She met his gaze and he winked.

_Oh._

Elide bit back a smile, happy that her friends’ love story was finally going somewhere.

“What’s physical?” asked Manon, having for all intents and purposes appeared out of thin air. “Are you talking about sex?”

Fen and Aelin roared out a laugh, Rowan’s smile turned crooked.

“Gods, you all only have one thing on your minds,” mumbled Elide, fighting her blush.

Manon shrugged. “It’s the one thing that matters.”

“I agree,” supplied Aelin with a feline smirk, her eyes fixed on Rowan.

The air suddenly grew thick.

Fenrys shouldered past them, cursing under his breath, and made his way into the Salvaterre household. Manon threw one last smirk over her shoulder before she sauntered into the house. Aelin gestured for Rowan to go first and he rolled his eyes, but did as she commanded. She took a good look at his behind, whistling wolfishly, and then went after him.

Elide breathed in deeply, bracing herself, before following on their heels.

Inside, they were standing in a file, arguing over who should go in first. This had become a common fight ever since Fen had once disrupted Lorcan’s sleep, and had come out limping from that room.

“You pussy,” Manon cursed and raised her hand to knock.

The door swung wide before her knuckles made contact.

“Y’all are too loud.”

Elide’s heart stopped beating at the sound of his voice. She forgot how to breathe as she took him in. Had he grown taller? Had his shoulders grown wider? She couldn’t be sure, but she gobbled up the loose curls that brushed his Adam’s apple, the slight stubble that always turned her knees molten, the night black eyes that inhabited her daydreams.

“Congratulations on winning your last match, and happy birthday,” declared Manon as she wrapped him in a quick and awkward hug.

Lorcan barely had the time to grumble a ‘ _thanks_ ’ before she brushed past him into his room.

“Welcome back, child prodigy,” Fenrys exclaimed as he wrapped him in a bear hug.

Lorcan patted his back once. “Get off me.”

“How cold.” Fenrys pressed a loud kiss on his cheek before letting go, entering the room.

Lorcan was still wiping his cheek with the sleeve of his shirt when Aelin’s turn came. “Don’t do it, Galathynius – ”

But Aelin took a running leap, pouncing on Lorcan, and he grunted as he caught her in his arms.

“Nice reflexes, birthday boy.”

“I won’t catch you next time.”

“That’s what you always say,” she smirked as she tapped his shoulder. Her eyes fell and stayed on something inside, out of Elide’s view. She pushed Lorcan out of her way. “Gods, now that is a cake…”

“Good to see you, bro,” Rowan said as he clasped his hand, knocking their shoulders in that man hug they always did.

“You too, bro.”

They nodded at each other once before Rowan rejoined Aelin on the floor, teasing her about her visible excitement.

Finally, it was Elide’s turn.

She’d hung back the entire time, and now she fiddled with her jacket, taking it off as slowly as possible.

No sooner was her jacket off that Lorcan’s arms were around her, her body automatically melting into him. She hugged him tightly, praying he couldn’t feel how fast her heart was beating, relishing his familiar scent of wood and rain.

A shiver ran down her neck when she heard him inhale deeply, too.

“Have you been taking care of yourself?” he whispered against her hair.

She buried her face into his shirt. “I should be asking you that.”

A low laugh rumbled in his chest. “If you’re going to worry so much, you should just come with me next time.”

She jerked her head back, surprised. “To your competition?”

“Yeah.”

“There are journalists there.”

He raised an eyebrow. “So?”

Before Elide could answer, before she could ask if he didn’t mind them misinterpreting their friendship and spreading false rumors about them, Aelin called, “Stop the flirting, you two. We have a cake to eat.”

Lorcan finally let Elide go, and she crossed her arms, suddenly feeling cold even in her thick wool sweater.

“You’re a pain in the ass, Galathynius.”

She stuck her tongue out and Rowan chuckled.

Manon began cutting the cake, Fenrys pouring the drinks, Rowan distributing the utensils and Aelin salivating over the cake.

Lorcan sat on the floor next to them, deliberately leaving the only chair in the room free.

“Aren’t you coming?” he asked as he wrested the first piece of cake out of Aelin’s hands.

She nodded, a wistful smile curving her lips. She sighed contentedly as she sat in the desk chair, grateful that she could take the weight off her leg for a bit.

Lorcan offered her the first piece of cake, to Aelin’s outrage. Fenrys handed her a cup, and she chuckled at the wine they must have secretly sneaked in.

“To our neighborhood’s best fighter,” Rowan raised his glass.

“To glory,” Fenrys toasted.

“To sex,” Manon declared.

“To a grumpy, brainless pile of muscle,” Aelin grumbled, glaring at him

Elide smiled. “To Lorcan.”

His eyes met hers as he held up his glass too, and they stared at each other as everyone cheered and drank their wine in one shot.

He raised his cup a little higher, and she did too, sharing a private toast before drinking.

Then it was a mess of interrupted conversations and loud laughter, cries of outrage over stolen food and teasing remarks.

It was Fenrys telling a dirty joke and Manon snorting out wine. It was Aelin batting eyes at Rowan and Fenrys gagging loudly. It was Rowan getting drunk off one cup of alcohol and spouting his ridiculously expansive knowledge about dinosaurs. It was everyone laughing, uncontrollable giggles bubbling out of her own throat.

It was Lorcan smiling when he thought nobody was watching.

It was home.


End file.
